


Drops in the ocean

by SunsetSwish



Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Road Trips, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-22
Updated: 2013-09-22
Packaged: 2017-12-23 23:10:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/932185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunsetSwish/pseuds/SunsetSwish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nasir's career as a civilian employee in the biggest private military company ends when he's asked to break out one of the soldiers locked up by the company for betrayal. He cannot refuse if he wants to stay alive and even if he manages to survive the mess, he'll still have pieces of his life left to pick up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I. appear where you are not expected

Nasir stood by the bed, looking down at the sedated man lying in it. It wasn't the first time Nasir saw him but it was the first time he paid attention. It was also the first time they were alone - not separated by circumstance, walls of glass and by other people.

Since his place in the company has always been behind the scenes, Nasir never had much to do with the subjects. His skills didn't lie in interacting with the soldiers, especially not with those considered failures. Here, standing in the basement levels of the company building, he was out of his comfort zone. 

He had gone through a lot of effort to get his hands on the IV bag which he now unpacked from its protective wrap and switched it with the one hanging by the bed. The liquid started to drip down while he looked at his watch. It was almost eight in the morning, which meant everything had to be ready by four in the afternoon.

Nasir remained by the bed for a minute longer, observing, as if the change was going to happen at any moment instead of eight hours. Everything was so quiet and still. The heart rate monitor didn't beep and the ventilators in the ceiling made a barely audible humming sound. The sleeping man, dressed in a grey t-shirt and pants like all subjects were, was pale against the white sheets. This tranquility was, as far as Nasir knew, in perfect contrast to this man's past life.

 

* * *

 

Nasir returned to his section to go through his tasks as he always did. No one noticed his presence in the lower levels earlier and even if they did, he'd be above suspicion. It wasn't a secret that Nasir was among the people most likely to receive a promotion next month and everything he's achieved here, he owed to no one but himself.

His chair creaked lightly when Nasir leaned back in it and picked up his cup to finish the coffee. With his free hand he played with the smart card he used earlier to unlock the door. It wasn't his name that was written on it. He'd received the card in a white envelope two days ago, along with car keys and no note to go with them. He knew the name on the card, of course. It belonged to the owner of the pharmaceutical company which had allied in business with the Castra Corp. This card gave Nasir access to more places in the building than his own did. The question was, why would its owner risk everything by giving the card to be used in a sabotage of the Corporation, when every use of any card in the building was recorded in the archives? It surely couldn't have been stolen from him, since its absence would've been noticed very quickly and reported.

At the sharp sound of knocking Nasir nearly spilled the coffee over himself. Kore, the executive assistant, let herself into his room through the dark glass door and dropped a stack of papers on his desk. Normally, Nasir would be pleased to see her but normally he wasn't involved in theft and security breaches. It wasn't often that he saw her in person, because of Kore's position, though they've met enough times to find that they had many things in common. On the rare occasion when she left the top offices she came in the company of the higher officials, during the inspections and special department meetings. Nasir sat up straight and turned in his chair with a panicked gaze. Through the tinted glass he could see only the familiar employees from his own department, moving about in the corridor.

Kore smiled, guessing his thoughts, and squeezed his shoulder gently. "I'm leaving early today and decided to pick up the latest reports myself, that's all."

She left after adding more paperwork to her little stack and Nasir returned to his work. He continued through the afternoon break, knowing no one would mind him doing that, just as no one would mind if he took the break an hour later. There wasn't much point in finishing up the commentary to his team's latest project and yet he did it, making sure to send it through the mail afterwards. The idealist in him wouldn't let him sleep at night if he just simply dropped a task he's been entrusted with. He read all of the e-mails from the superior departments, spent another hour supervising his team and during all of that time he tried very hard not to look like this was the last day he did that.

When the time came, he carefully collected all of the things he meant to take and left his section once again. He didn't get lucky with the lifts. There was already someone in the one which opened first. Nasir walked in and made small talk with the IT manager all the way down. A simple thing, which unfortunately did nothing to calm his nerves.

On the ground floor, where the café was located he made a pretend trip to the bathrooms and then returned to the hall. This time the lift was empty and Nasir pressed the button for level -3. The little screen displayed a request and he swiped the card in the built-in terminal. Thanks to that system there was no need for security guards in the Passage C or any of the corridors branching off from it. Nasir walked through one of them, passing by the many rooms. Each of the rooms had an order number over the identical, card swipe locked door with a strip of paper taped to them. The strings of letters and numbers printed on the strips changed too frequently to be placed there on anything more permanent than paper.

Nasir stopped by Agron's door and looked at the code. This man was the only subject ever known to Nasir by name and not just random set of signs. It was a piece of information Nasir never wanted to have about this one and every other man held here. They didn't exist as far as the outside world was concerned and there was no reason for them to exist in Nasir's own life.

His hand hovered for a moment over the round, metallic knob. Finally, he took a deep breath and ran his card through the scanner, half-hoping the door wouldn't open this time. Even when the light blinked green and an electronic chirp announced the door unlocked, Nasir still expected an alarm to sound at any moment.

Nothing of that sort happened. The door was open and he was yet again walking into the white room, empty save for the bed with its occupant. The lights were always on here, slightly dimmed, and the two sets of medical monitors on each side of the bed were always on, displaying a set of parameters.

The change in the readings since the morning was clearly visible. If anyone upstairs monitored the subjects, they'd have noticed the changes and came to check on them. As it was, Agron and the rest of the men on this level weren't a priority anymore. They've lost their value to the corporation and there was only one thing they could be still used for. That was also the reason why Nasir didn't have much time for his plan to be realized. In two days this room would be empty and the man would be disposed of as every other failure. That the sedated ex- and would-be soldiers were sold as unknowing and unwilling organ donors was a secret the corporation kept hidden well. The trick was to have someone to sell them to - someone who did not care about the source of the goods they were selling again to a highest bidder. That was where the Sinuessa Pharm. came into the picture.

Nasir hadn't known that until last week, when Spartacus had accosted him in front of his apartment. Spartacus had told him many other things about the Castra Corp., some of which Nasir still didn't quite believe. Only because one or two of them were a fact, checked by Nasir himself, didn't mean that everything Spartacus wanted him to believe was true. It didn't mean that the neutralized soldiers were innocent victims of Castra's game. They might as well be war criminals, who needed to be put down. Nasir wasn't quite sure which version he wanted to be true when he looked at the unconscious man.

Nasir took a moment to make sure everything was in order with Agron's body. He didn't want to trigger a heart attack or something worse. There were many things that could possibly go wrong in the whole human improvement project and Nasir was no medic. He was only supposed to know the share of theory needed for his work, not to be ready to troubleshoot all of the problems that could pop up. To add to that, Agron's case was more complicated since after he'd gone rogue and returned to the training facility he hadn't responded well to the re-conditioning. He'd resisted until he was considered a hopeless case and then permanently sedated.

Holding a small automatic syringe in his hand, Nasir closed the distance between him and the bed. Judging by the heartbeat and the rest of the readings Agron was ready to be woken up. At least temporarily. It wasn't the ideal way of doing this, not by a long shot, but neither of them had a choice here. Nasir had replaced the sedative with a mild stimulant and vitamin cocktail, which prepared Agron's system for the injection. The injection was strong and it's effects were immediate. Because of that it could be used only once in a period of time to avoid permanent damage to the internal organs. Nasir pressed the syringe to Agron's arm and watched the liquid drain from the container. He counted seconds, glancing at the monitor. The heartbeat sped up, exceeding the normal rate as it was supposed to. Nasir watched the lines closely, preparing in case he had to save his live. Or at least try to save it.

Everything looked right and only a minute passed before the man came awake.

For a time he was completely still, just looking up. If he was aware of Nasir's presence in the room he did nothing to show it. Nasir imagined he tried to remember where he was and why he was here. At least, it had better be that than him trying to figure out a way to get out of there right away, probably over Nasir's dead body. Nasir cursed in his thoughts. Why didn't he think of bringing something to strap him down before waking him?

Nasir stepped forward slowly, coming fully into Agron's view. He held his hands where the man could see them. There could be no stupid mistakes here.

"Agron? Is that your name?" A simple question, meant to reassure Nasir the drugs they've been feeding Agron with the past month didn't make any serious damage. A nod was his only answer.

"Do you know where you are?" Another nod, this time tense. Nasir continued. "I'm not here to hurt you, okay? Your... _friends_ sent me to get you out of here and back to them."

Agron watched him, trying to read him. It would be completely reasonable for him to expect a trick, a mind game by the corporation meant to further confuse him and make him finally submit.

While Nasir waited for Agron to answer, he noticed new things about this man he never wanted to know. Like that artificial light made his eyes unnaturally green.

"And just how are you planning to manage that on your own?" When Agron finally spoke, it was evident he hasn't used his voice in a long time. He flexed his wrists - a small movement, yet one Nasir easily caught at the edge of his sight.

"I'm planning to make you listen to me and do what I tell you. I gave you something you might be familiar with from your time in the field. A substance which improves overall performance but is stronger than anything used in the field so far. It woke you up and lets you move, to an extent. You've been here a long time, so don't expect to be able to do everything at first. A regular person, without the improvements you've had wouldn't even sit up."

"There's a 'but' coming."

"It doesn't rid you of the sedatives. They'll still be in your blood for another twelve hours - up to twenty four if you're unlucky - and once the stimulant stops working... you'll crash. That's going to happen in about an hour so I'd greatly appreciate it if you just did as I say so we can get out on time and I won't be forced to drag you with me." Nasir managed to maintain a steady tone, the kind he used on the more willful of his new staff. It always worked on them and while Nasir didn't expect any respect from Agron, he wanted to be at least treated seriously.

"You got it."

"Now, just try to sit up and move around without touch anything. Don't remove the electrodes or the IV. I need to do something elsewhere."

"Wait-"

" _Stay_. And don't touch anything."

Nasir walked out, leaving the door wide open and headed to the neighbouring room where another man was asleep. Nasir didn't know his history. Maybe he was like Agron - escaped and caught again, maybe he'd never even gotten to work in the Legion if his body hadn't been able to handle the improvements. It didn't matter.

Carefully, Nasir pulled at the frame of the bed to see if the wheels moved. Then he unplugged the monitor on the left and took it off the little stand connected with the bed. The only sensor programmed to start an alarm was the one for the heartbeat, connected to the computer on the right side and that was all they needed. Nasir folded the two pieces of frame which held the two monitor stands, so that they hovered over the bed. It wouldn't fit through the door otherwise. Since every important piece of equipment in the building was fitted with a battery backup, Nasir was able to unplug the computer without the system upstairs wrongly picking up a flat-line signal. Now it was a matter of moving all of it to the the other room before anyone decided to come down here to check on something. He slowly pulled the bed into Agron's room until it was close enough to plug the computer back in. By the time he did that Agron was standing up, holding on to frame for balance and trying to get used to his current state. At the same time he was closely watching Nasir's every movement.

"What are you going to do with this?"

"He's going to help us." Nasir gestured at the sleeping man. "This is the last thing I have to do and we're out of here."

He walked over to Agron and stood in front of him. Nasir could see that Agron wasn't short when he was still lying down but it was a different thing to have him tower over him like this. If at any moment Nasir gave him a reason to doubt his intentions, Nasir was sure he would not stand a chance even in Agron's weakened state.

"I need to remove these, one at a time."

He gestured at Agron's chest. There were two wires disappearing under the grey shirt Agron wore. Two electrodes were connected to those, monitoring his heart-rate. After receiving a nod of agreement, Nasir reached up and under the collar of the shirt. He took note of the scar over the man's heart. It looked old, making Nasir wonder if he'd gotten it back in his previous life, before the Legion. Nasir made a quick work of re-attaching the electrodes to the unconscious man while Agron stood patiently in silence. Nasir noticed him looking at the other man but saying nothing. Agron wasn't so naive to think they could save anyone else, not when it was just him and Nasir. Especially not if he kept in mind what Nasir said about the drug cocktail in his body and what was going to happen.

"Sorry for not having any shoes for you, it'd be too much to carry around the office without looking suspicious. You should be fine until we get to the car." Nasir spoke while pulling out the IV needle. He pressed a piece of tissue there and told Agron to hold it.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes. Let's go."

Nasir locked the door behind them and led Agron in the opposite direction to the one he'd come from earlier. One of the cargo lifts would take them down to the underground parking garage reserved for the chief officers, for Kore and for people like representatives of Sinuessa Pharm.

They were both silent during the ride down. Agron leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He probably felt as bad as he looked, even paler in the light reflected off the metallic surfaces. His fingers were closed tightly around the handrail. As much as Nasir hated being put in this situation, he wasn't so heartless to not feel any sympathy for the man. He really couldn't do anything more for him without taking him to a hospital, so getting him far from the organization's reach had to be enough.

"Are you going to be fine in the car? If you get sick-"

"Trust me, I could handle flying in a fucking space shuttle as long as it took me far from here."

When the door opened and they walked into the parking garage Nasir fished out the keys from his pocket and waited for one of the cars to respond to the button. It was there, a dark grey SUV parked behind the pillar with a white E4 painted on it.

There was no way they could drive this one for a long time. Not with the tinted windows and overall 'I'm a drug dealer, tell me to pull over' look. At least that's what came to Nasir's mind at the first sight of it. Maybe it was just a regular car and he's began to lose his mind to paranoia already. Either way, it was a good thing Nasir had thought of that beforehand and was prepared to change the vehicle. He knew that the men who contacted him - and threatened his life - wanted him to succeed in getting Agron out, but that didn't mean he had to just blindly follow their instructions without thinking of keeping himself extra safe.

He walked over to the trunk and looked inside. There was a single duffel bag, filled with what turned out to be Agron's own clothes. It also contained a gun, a map and a clear plastic container with pills. It lacked a proper label and there was 2 x 1 written on it with a waterproof marker. Nasir quickly scanned the area with his eyes. It seemed hey were completely alone.

"I think we have just enough time for you to get changed." Nasir picked up the map and left the rest of items to Agron.

He sat down in the driver's seat and unfolded the map. There weren't any places marked for them except for a single route highlighted in blue. Nasir recognized it as the main road out of the west side of the city, which then connected with the highway leading north. The line ended in a place which was basically a middle of nowhere. Only two unimportant towns were close to that point and Nasir guessed the end of the line didn't mean anything, it was just a direction they were supposed to choose.

When Agron shut the trunk closed Nasir leaned out of the window to look at him.

"It will be better if you sit in the back. We don't want the security noticing you."

Agron nodded, but then paused with his hand on the handle.

"I don't know your name."

"You'll have no use for it if we get killed. I'll tell you my name if we're still alive and free tomorrow."

"Fair enough, little man."

" _Get in_."

The winding ramp which connected the several levels of the parking would led them out into the city. Aside from cameras at every corner, the only security post was right at the end - or entrance - of the parking garage and was meant to keep unauthorized people out, not in. Once they were there, all Nasir had to do was run the card again through the scanner and wait for the bars to raise and let them through into the sun-soaked streets.

 

* * *

 

The pastel-yellow sedan belonged to Nasir's friend. It was left under an overpass, with keys left taped to the inside of the left wheel. She was supposed to report the car stolen the next morning, which would hopefully keep her safe, should anyone make connection between her and Nasir. She left his laptop in the car after he'd given it to her few days earlier. There were more of his things, only those which he didn't wish to part with. The rest had to be left in his apartment.

They left the grey SUV behind the mall, three streets away. This wasn't the most populated or prestigious part of the city and Nasir knew there weren't many surveillance cameras to record them. It shouldn't be easy for the Castra's agents to figure out what car they took after ditching the first one. While walking away from the SUV they took the chance to shop for water and food and several other things they could need during the travel.

Agron stood near the car while Nasir put in the baggage. Though he was holding himself straight, he didn't look like he was entirely there, losing more of himself to the drugs with every passing minute.

"Hey." Nasir placed his hand on Agron's arm briefly. "Lie down before you pass out on me."

Agron blinked as if Nasir interrupted his thoughts.

"Where are we going?"

"For now up north, because that's all I've been told. Spartacus is supposed meet us there. Somewhere. I don't know, but I'm looking forward to not having to deal with you or him anymore."

 

* * *

 

"You can't do this to me."

Nasir held the phone to his ear while he paced. They've stopped in an empty car park for trucks somewhere along the way. It was late at night and they've covered most of the distance drawn on the map. Nasir waited for a call but it never came, so when he's grown tired of the silence he made the call himself. He had the phone number Spartacus had given him a week ago, when they met in person.

"No, that wasn't what you wanted me to do and I don't know how you imagine I'm supposed to deal with this now."

He kept on pacing, away from the car and to the end of the asphalt. He raised his voice and even though nothing could wake his company at this point, he stayed in a distance.

"You knew he'd be out for a day, so that leaves me with a lot of time to go on my own. I can't keep the car much longer, either."

All of this was bullshit. Apparently the group ran into some problems when they were making their move and they couldn't go on with the plan without being tracked down by corporation's agents. Right now Spartacus was absolutely no help and it didn't sound like he was even willing to make this easier for Nasir and Nasir didn't want to listen anymore. He ended the call and would love to just throw the phone at something but he knew better than to make his situation even worse. They were going to spend the night in the car park and in the morning he'd pray that Agron woke up sooner rather than later.

 


	2. II. In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry, this was never supposed to take this long. I do have the whole story planned out, I just got caught up in finishing my driving course and preparations for a surgery which I'm leaving for tomorrow. /excuses/. I am really sorry and I'll do my best to be quicker with next part.
> 
> I'm not entirely pleased with this one, but here it goes. Apologies for any mistakes you will find.

That night Nasir spent hours trying to find a position comfortable enough to let him sleep at least for a moment in the small car seat, while fighting the anxiety which began to overcome him. Soon after he drifted off he was startled awake by a bright light, which turned out to come from a flash-light held by a policeman. It was just one man, as far as Nasir could tell from the car, and he didn't ask Nasir to get out, only to roll down his window.

"This isn't the best place you chose for resting. Your plates aren't local so I assume you're not up to date with the news. We're dealing with a little crime problem here and no one should be staying out here alone like this."

"Oh." Gathering his thoughts proved somewhat difficult for Nasir on so little sleep, in the middle of the night. "Thank you, I wasn't aware of that. We'll leave right away."

He started the car, pulled out of the car park and returned on the road they've been following the previous day. He ignored the policeman's advice to stop at the nearest motel and instead stayed on the road for another half an hour. He circled the outskirts of the town, all the time glancing into the rear view mirror, before finding another spot he considered secluded enough.

No police car followed them. In fact, no one else felt the need to travel at this hour through the area. It was quiet and the night was pleasantly warm. Nasir sat in the turned off car, waiting to calm down. While at first he felt mildly creeped out by the information he received, eventually he decided he probably went too far with his own assumptions. His first thought was that someone was probably killed, if the police went as far as to ask people to stay in safe places. He could have asked what exactly happened and whether he truly needed to worry about his safety, but he was so eager to get away from the officer, he didn't even think of that back there. He was already lucky enough to be considered a citizen in need of a warning instead of a questioning.

When he managed to fall asleep again, he stayed that way until the warm rays of morning sun reached his face.

 

* * *

The day moved slowly. Nasir itched to check his phone and e-mail, to read the news. He'd taken out the battery and the card from his phone the day before to make tracking it impossible. Now he had no need for a new one, there was no one he could call. His attempts at getting the radio inside the car to work ended in failure - he tried everything from checking the wires to hitting the device repeatedly, achieving absolutely nothing. Because of that, he wouldn't learn that staying around was a mistake until late evening.

The town they were close to was surrounded by large fields separated by wooded areas, forming uneven patterns. The place Nasir chose last night proved to be fit for a longer stay. It was at the end of a short dirt road, leading into the forest. It was almost as quiet as it was at night, only the noise of the few cars passing by behind the line of trees reminded him of civilisation nearby.

The day was shaping up to be a hot one. Because a working air conditioning system was yet another feature the old car lacked and because the trees around protected them from most of the heat, Nasir chose to remain where they were until Agron started to wake up. Whenever that would happen. While the time passed, Nasir finished the food they had, drank the bottled water while wishing for a cup of a normal morning coffee, studied the map and walked in circles around the car in search of entertainment. He even looked for the other phone in Agron's bag but it was also turned off so he left it.

As for Agron, he started to come out of the comatose state shortly before noon and was barely aware of his surroundings at first. He slipped in and out of consciousness, unable to stay awake for more than a minute. At first Nasir noticed every small movement, every creak of the worn upholstery under the man's weight while waiting for him to speak at least one word, but once it became clear there would be no miraculous fast recovery, he sat back and waited. It got better in the afternoon, when Nasir began to grow hungry and frustrated on top of being bored.

Unsurprisingly, Agron decided to welcome the new day with a string of curses, though his voice was low and slightly slurred.

Nasir picked up the water bottle from the holder and reached back to hand it to Agron. He fixed the rear view mirror to see the other man better without turning.

"So we're still alive." Agron observed after a moment, while propping himself up to a half-sitting position.

"Yes, still," he agreed. Then he remembered something and added, "It's Nasir."

Agron looked puzzled for a second before understanding what he said and then broke into a smile. Nasir never thought that drugged-out, professional killers could have such genuine smiles, a disarming power on their own. He looked away from the mirror.

"Can we go to a motel now?"

"I... think so. I can't tell if it's the car or the drugs making me feel this shitty. I've got a cramp in my leg. And my arm."

"If you can complain about that, you'll be fine."

  
Nasir picked the place, paid for the room and then moved the car as close to the door as the motel's small parking space allowed. He didn't want anyone to have an opportunity to remember his or Agron's faces while they stayed there.

Unsteady on his feet, Agron had to be supported by Nasir. It was worse than back in the labs - without the extra kick from the chemicals his vision swam and his body felt weaker. Especially after sitting upright and then standing up his vision greyed out from the change in the blood pressure. Agron leaned on the car when Nasir was locking it and then they both slowly made their way to the room.

  
"Rough night?"

The sudden question came from behind them and Nasir he looked over his shoulder to see a young man, who must've just parked next to them. He looked normal enough and his question was more of a neutral statement than some deep curiosity.

"Yes, actually." Nasir agreed without going into details, real or made up ones.

"Don't tell me, you had the honour of being the sober driver friend? Do you need someone to lend you a hand?" He looked willing to help, though he would do nothing if Nasir said no.

Nasir thought quickly. If the guy came closer, he'd notice Agron didn't smell of alcohol at all. He could assume drugs, which wouldn't be that bad unless he was a law and order freak. At worst he'd think Nasir stole a man from a hospital, which, well, wasn't likely. He couldn't possibly guess they were running from somewhere, since it was way too soon for Castra to make their escape public information. If they ever decided to make it public. When Nasir concluded that there was no worst case scenario here, he nodded.

"I'd appreciate it."

Agron didn't seem to mind another person touching him, which was good because it let them get over with this quicker. When they reached the door and Nasir took out the key to open it, he heard Agron chuckle. His head was bowed and Nasir couldn't see his face well.

"What?"

"Nothing." Nasir thought this would be it, but Agron thought it smart to continue. "Or everything, depending how you look at it."

A woman's voice calling out saved Nasir from responding to Agron's epiphany. The man who was helping them turned in her direction first.

"What are you doing?" She was standing by the door two rooms away from them, with an unimpressed face and arms crossed over her chest. Her hair was as dark as the young man's.

"A _minute_ and I'll be right there." 

Nasir didn't like the attention but it was too late now. Once inside, they carefully let Agron down on the bed. Nasir thanked the guy again before he left to join his female companion. Nasir watched them disappear inside their own room before he went to retrieve the bags from the car. He locked the door to the room, pulled the window curtains closed and then dropped face-first on his bed, in his clothes. He was asleep within a minute.

When he opened his eyes again the light coming through the curtains was weaker, taking on an orange tint.

Agron was awake as well, possibly not having slept while Nasir did. He lay on his back, with one leg bent and his arms up in front of his face. Moving his fingers seemed like a very fascinating thing to do.

Nasir turned over on his back as well and listened to the silence for a moment. The moment was short, because it had to be. Nasir sat up with a purpose and left the bed to go to the bathroom, grabbing his bag on the way. He didn't enjoy the shower as thoroughly as he wanted to, since they've already spent too much time in one place. He towelled his hair quickly and put fresh clothes on. When he walked out of the bathroom, Agron was looking straight at him. Nasir immediately looked down at the dusty flooboards, then at his watch.

"We need to move on soon."

Wordlessly, Agron pushed himself up and off of the bed. Nasir watched him closely but made sure to avoid the man's gaze this time. Agron stood up on his own and began walking without asking for support. He moved slowly and close to the wall, his fingers touching it for reassurance along the way, but in the end he didn't need help.

Nasir sat down at the table, since there was no couch in the room. He had nothing to do until Agron was ready to go. He tapped his fingers on the wooden surface, looking around the room absentmindedly until his eyes fell on the grey duffle bag. Then, realisation hit him. He was certainly _not_ about to see Agron walk around in just a towel. He jumped off the chair and grabbed the bag. He put it on the floor by the door and firmly knocked.

"You forgot your things. They're here now."

Agron said something brief, which was too muffled by the running water for Nasir to understand.

Nasir returned to the little table to pass the time doing nothing and trying to think of nothing. He felt a bit better after getting a few hours of sleep in a proper bed but the stress was still getting to him. He was hungry, too. Even if eating has been pushed down on the list of his priorities, they'd have to go somewhere soon. Agron has barely had anything to eat since yesterday, mostly just water. He had to get used to normal food again, after spending quite a while hooked up to IVs.

 

Once Agron was done with the shower they packed their things, left the car at the motel and walked to the centre of the town to find a mall. There wasn't much traffic at this hour, which was very unlike to what Nasir was used to when living in his city. Even though there were more people inside the mall, Nasir didn't feel any unwanted gazes on him. Everyone was too interested in getting what they needed and going home fast to get some rest to even notice other people.

Nasir kept glancing at Agron, who stayed close by. It was Agron's idea that they walk to the town. At first Nasir wasn't convinced it was the best of ideas, even if they should still be relatively safe, but seemed that Agron was willing to make an extra effort to look unsuspicious just to go to the shops.

It surprised Nasir even more when Agron suggested that they go out to eat instead of settling for the packed food they've just bought. He didn't explain why and Nasir didn't question it. There was a place they agreed on, a small restaurant with booths which allowed some kind of privacy. They ordered the food when they entered and then sat in the corner booth farthest from the door. Agron settled in the faux leather seat like it was the most comfortable thing he's touched in a while. He put his feet up on the opposite part of the seat and the sigh which he let out sounded to Nasir more like a sign of relief from pain rather than comfort. Before Nasir could ask, he claimed he was fine.

He really wasn't but Nasir didn't have to know the reason why he wanted to stay in public places. He's had enough of being isolated, of seeing only Legion's staff and agents around him.  
Castra's agents gave Spartacus' team a really hard time the week before he was caught and brought back. They've been constantly in hiding, trying to throw the chase off with false trails. It worked, eventually, at the price of several lives and Agron's freedom. Then he spent what had to be weeks in the Legion's facility. He didn't remember being transported to the underground labs in Nasir's building.

The situation on Spartacus' end must have been become better, if he could spare the time to think about Agron. He was grateful for that, even if he was a little disappointed he couldn't meet with his friends yet. There was also the problem of how he was freed - they involved another person, someone who did not have the training or experience to do what was asked of him. People like Nasir were the first ones to make a mistake and get themselves caught in a crossfire. If they were lucky, the crossfire was only metaphorical.

They were midway through the meal when Agron spoke, surprising Nasir.

"I'm sorry."

Nasir stopped playing with the lid on his coffee cup which he's just received and looked up. When he replied, his tone was icy.

"For ending my career and ruining my life?"

Agron couldn't guess what sort of thought train he's just interrupted with his words, but it couldn't be a pretty one. 

"I'm _sorry_ you seem to find no satisfaction in saving someone's life."

"The one life of someone who is capable of taking many others' and has done exactly that in the past?"

Agron put down his food and leaned closer on the table. Nasir didn't think he tried to look intimidating but the effect was there.

"Remind me, weren't you working for exactly the same people as I was?"

Nasir felt the sting but he held Agron's gaze. 

"It's not the same." He wasn't planning to explain himself until he truly wished to do so. Instead, he went for a change of topic. "Spartacus said we can't meet him. At least not now. I have no friends I could turn to now. I have no plan or any more ideas about what to do. So if you'd care to share some input, now is the good time."

Agron was willing to drop the subject of Nasir's affiliations, apparently, because he simply sighed and leaned back in the seat, looking away from Nasir.

"I know where we can go."

"Great, there's at least that."

Silence fell between them again. They returned to eating, though Agron's pace slowed down until it became non-existent. He still felt hungry, but he knew it'd end badly if he forced it. He felt a mess, unable to do anything other than wait for it to get better. He pushed the wrapped half of a burger away from himself.

Nasir finished his own meal in silence and when he was done, he reached for Agron's.

"...You don't have to finish that."

"I hate wasting food."

"Of course you do."

Nasir became too absorbed in temporarily not acknowledging Agron's presence at the table to see that Agron was looking at him like he's spotted a rare animal. Still, Nasir was aware of the gaze on him.

 

The whole trip took them a little over an hour. They returned to get the car and set out in the direction of the highway. A short distance outside of the town a line of slowly moving cars began. It was leading up to what looked like a crash site. Nasir could see the lights coming from police cars but there was nothing even resembling a fire truck.

"I don't think that's an accident."

"No. It's a roadblock." Agron sat next to him in the passenger's seat, frowning.

"Not for us, I think?"

"No. Castra may be powerful, but they can't influence the police on such a scale."

"It doesn't matter. We need to turn around. You have no ID at all and even if I'm not on a wanted list by now, I probably am on a missing persons one."

Nasir didn't act immediately, choosing to observe the situation first. He wanted to be sure they wouldn't be pursued if they decided to make a U-turn. He waited until he saw someone else do that and then drive away in peace. He was just about to do the same, when a figure suddenly appeared at the edge of his vision and knocked on the glass. If someone did that to him again, Nasir was going to snap or die of a heart attack, whichever came first. Once he took a good look at the person, he recognised the young man from before. His companion was right behind him and she moved forward to talk the moment Nasir rolled the window down.

"Two more people were found dead this evening, can you believe it? The drug gangs couldn't have fucking waited until the night time to do that? We'd have been far away from here by then."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, you don't really want to go through that checkpoint, am I right? Neither do we." The man said and then the girl continued, not giving Nasir time to react.

"We considered going to the cops and telling them about you to distract them but then they'd hold us for questioning and it'd end the same way as if we were stopped here, which is them finding out who we are."

"We promise we didn't kill anyone and we hope you didn't either. We don't really care what you did. We figured you'd be interested in getting away without anyone noticing and you'd be willing to join up with us."

"In doing what, exactly?" Nasir was tempted to roll the window up and drive away from there, if only he didn't feel completely trapped.

"The only ones getting through without a check are families with newborns and hundred year old cat-ladies. There's no way they'd just let us through. They'd check our licenses and car papers in case we got it from drug money or stole it, just because we're young and have a better ride than they do. And let's be honest, there's no way they'd let you two pass, either. We need something to make us look respectable."

The pair exchanged glances before sharing what they've come up with. "What would you say if we stole a car from the park rangers?"

"You know where the car is?" Agron interrupted before Nasir could ask them if they lost their minds.

"We saw it by the other road to the town - and before you ask, that road is blocked too. There's a cabin meant for the rangers to stop in, outside of the town but before the roadblock. We saw two men around there and we believe they're still there. We'll take the car, the jackets. We'll look like we're going on a night patrol."

Nasir considered the idea for a moment. It could work. There was also a thousand reasons why it could fail.

"I'm still not sure why you invited us to the theft?"

The pair once again looked at each other before answering, like they were embarrassed. The more Nasir observed them, the more convinced he was the two were not only family, but twins. If there was even more than that, he wouldn't be entirely surprised.

"Like we said, there's someone around keeping an eye on it. If we were noticed, we'd be fucked. I'm definitely not a fighter and I can't say my brother is one, either."

"What makes you think we are?" Nasir asked quickly, not just because he wanted to deny everything connecting them to the Legion, but because at this moment they really weren't. He had no skill or experience, never having to defend himself in fight, while Agron was still too weak.

"Oh, you don't have to be. I mean, he sure looks like he could knock out anyone," she made a vague gesture at Agron, "but, you know what they say, 'strength in numbers'."

"They might still ask to see our documents at the checkpoint."

"Come up with something better, then." She made a face like Nasir was personally insulting her.

Agron seemed to be on board with the plan already. Unlike Nasir, he wasn't looking for all the reasons why this would go wrong and why they should refuse.

Nasir gave up. 

"All right, fine. We can try this."

 

They reached the place without a problem. This was the road Nasir followed the night before and now that he thought about it, he couldn't recall passing by the building back then. 

They spent several minutes observing the area from behind their cover of bushes while one of the rangers walked around the place, moving equipment from the truck back to the little house. The old sedan and the expensive silver coupe the pair drove were left where the rangers or a patrol wouldn't notice them. The car they wanted to get now was a white pick-up truck with clear Park Ranger signs on the sides. It was standing in the open and it would be so easy to just wait and steal it, if only there wasn't anyone to immediately notice the theft.

They thought the second man was inside of the little house, until he showed up walking out from behind it. After a moment both disappeared there again and didn't come back. That was the moment the four chose to make their move. Nasir leaned around the corner to see if they could find an opening. They were in luck - two chairs and a garden table were set up on the flat ground behind the cabin. When sitting in them, the rangers had their backs turned to the cabin and whoever who would come at them.

The one who came at them was Agron.

"Don't turn around and stay where you are."

Just as the two men started to turn - because of course they would - a sharp noise from a shattering object drew their attention away from the intruders and from seeing their faces. Broken glass now lay between them in pieces and its contents spilled between them after a bullet passed right through it. The men weren't the only ones who nearly jumped out of their skins at the gunshot sound. Nasir and the twins stared at Agron, none of them having ever come close to a gun before. Nasir knew Agron had it but he honestly tried to forget about it. He didn't even notice that Agron took it from the car.

"I _said_ don't fucking turn. Do you want to keep your lives?"

One of the men found his voice first. "What do you want?"

"Take off your jackets. Shirts and pants. Feel free to keep everything else." Agron turned to his company. "Get something to tie them with."

The rangers did as told, after a moment of hesitation. Seppia gathered the clothes and backed out of the way to let her brother and Nasir tie the men's hands. They blindfolded the men to make moving them to the back room easier without worrying about being seen.

The short radiator looked sturdy enough to stay in place at least until they got away, even if it was tugged at with considerable force. Agron fussed over the knots, fixing them until he was sure they'd also hold long enough. He ignored the muffled protests from the men.

"We'll tell someone you're here after we've gotten far enough."

Nasir went through their wallets and pockets, paying extra attention to IDs and other documents the rangers had on them. He counted the cash they had but in the end he left all of it on the table. It felt somehow wrong to take it.

He brought one of the IDs to show to Agron.

"Do you think this could kind of pass for yours?"

It belonged to the taller of the rangers, who also had the lighter hair. Although it was lighter than Agron's, people changed their hair colour often enough for that detail to be not so important.

"Not really, but take it. Take everything we can use. We'll leave it all in the car before we ditch it."

Nasir started to turn to collect what remained, but he paused. 

"That was a nice shot, there."

Agron met his gaze.

"I didn't want to break the glass, I was aiming at the plastic bottle."

There was nothing Nasir could say to that, so he left the room to not let the awkwardness fill it.

 

Since there were only two uniforms, the four of them had to take different places in the truck. Agron and Seppius sat in the front while Nasir and Seppia were to hide in the trunk, under a tarp between the metal wall of the trunk and a box of hardware. They were smaller and fit in there better than the two other men would, who also looked better in the stolen uniforms. Whatever opinion Nasir and Seppia had on that setting went ignored.

Once they were set they moved out and headed back towards the roadblock. The line of ten cars before them moved slow enough for all of them to get nervous again about the whole plan.

If the police let the drug dog sniff around the car, would it react to people hiding in it or would it just ignore them? Nasir had no idea.

The noise from the checkpoint became louder as they drove closer and closer. They kept completely silent in the back, careful to not move and knock something over accidentally. In the darkness, Nasir expected the beam from a flashlight to appear any moment gliding over them and then shine right in their faces after they were discovered. Fortunately, that vision remained only in his imagination. The car stopped one more time and after that they were moving faster. A minute passed, then five. Nasir couldn't tell how long exactly they stayed on the road, leaving the danger behind them.

At some point the car took a turn, drove over something uneven which could have been a curb or the edge of a dirt road. The moment it stopped, Seppia was already pushing off the tarp and getting up from their hiding spot.

Agron and Seppius changed back into their own clothes and put the clothes along with everything else they took inside the car. For a moment there was an awkward silence between them all, before Seppia put her hands up.

"Well, that was fun. Thanks for the help and let's never have to meet again."

They parted ways and didn't look back. Agron and Nasir kept their distance from the main road, walking along the edge of the forest and making a straight line for another town that they could see in the distance beyond the fields. There was a train station there, judging by what looked very much like rails leading to it from the west. Since in such an unimportant place they couldn't count on express trains, the local slow one would have to be enough for them.

The walk to the station didn't help Agron any. Nasir thought they could have used the car to drive at least a little farther, even if it would be a sure pointer to where they headed after ditching it. The man held on, however, even if only by sheer power of determination.

At the station, they didn't have to wait a long timefor the train which Agron said was the best one for them to take. The passenger car was mostly empty, save for a few people sitting near the opposite end of it. Agron took the seat nearest to the exit and Nasir sat in the one facing him. Agron leaned against the wall and put his legs up on the seat, taking up all of the space. He closed his eyes and for a moment Nasir thought he'd try to sleep.

"Look, I wanted to say I'm honestly sorry for what happened to you because of us." Agron suddenly spoke, "I'm guessing Spartacus threatened you and that it was effective, but I can promise you he wouldn't have hurt you even if you refused."

"He looked pretty serious to me."

"He is serious about _this_. He's serious about his men and about what we're fighting for. The whole point is, enough innocent people have suffered already. He wouldn't hurt another one to further his goals."

"I would think you should consider me one of your enemy."

"Do _you_ consider yourself our enemy?"

"Okay, look, we've talked too much without getting anywhere so far. All I know - and understand - is that the corporation wronged some of you somehow. If you can prove it, you certainly should share it with me so I feel slightly better about myself. Or, you know, share it with the authorities to actually get anywhere."

"We do have some proof. We're not going to risk going against Castra legally until we're absolutely sure we can win this. I'm sure you're perfectly aware you don't just throw an accusation at a corporation of that size and believe the good cops and lawyers will carry it for you from there. We still need more time. And if you want the story, you'll need to talk to Spartacus."

"Right. Of course. But what did they do to you?"

"If you mean the beginning, when first went rogue, they didn't do anything. They didn't have to, for me to see they were using people and fucking them over. I was just helping."

"Helping your friend Spartacus."

Agron nodded. Nasir turned his face to the window and moved his attention to the view outside. The long summer evening ended and it was getting dark. The long shadows of trees and electric poles blended together before his eyes. Once they left the wooded area, Nasir could see the distant lights of villages and solitary farmhouses.

 


End file.
